Kontrollierte Stauraumabsenkungen hatten keine nachweisbaren Auswirkungen auf die Fischpopulationen der Möll – ein Kommentar zu Pinter et al. (2024)

In the current issue, Pinter et al. (2024) interpret multi-year fisheries surveys on the Möll and a tagging study commissioned by VERBUND Hydro Power as negative effects of the drawdown of the Rottau reservoir. We show that the data allow for completely different interpretations, which are at least as likely.

In general, we currently see little potential for improvement in flushing management, either at Rottau or at other power plants. The sediment management challenges lie more in the chains of reservoirs, which limit the continuity for bedload, and in the overly wide reservoirs, some of which have developed valuable habitats for nature conservation. However, these challenges cannot be solved by the power plant operator, but must first be discussed at the target level.